ST PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz is looking for a way to have the Minnesotans who were stuck on the Grand Princess cruise ship quarantined in Minnesota.
The representative from the Governor's office did not say whether passengers would quarantine at home or somewhere else.
Currently, some of those passengers like Barb Harris and her boyfriend, Stan Herman, are preparing for a mandatory 14-day quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. After a bus transported them to a nearby airport, the couple landed in San Diego around 4:30 p.m. CST. They spoke with KARE TV's Adrienne Broaddus via FaceTime.
"Get us home. That is all we want right now," Herman said. "I am feeling very anxious about all of this. Plus we have already been in quarantine for a week and we have another two weeks."
The couple was stuck on that Grand Princess Cruise ship with 21 other passengers who received a coronavirus diagnosis. When we first talked to the couple earlier this month from the cruise ship they were optimistic. That positivity has started to fade.
"Of course. Your morale is high the first couple of days. This has now gotten very old," Herman said. "This feels like prison."
Harris and Herman say their 14 day quarantine won't start until 24 to 48 hours after they arrive at the military base. More than 1,000 people were on that cruise ship. The couple says they don't have any COVID-19 symptoms, just an abundance of anxiety.
"We would be glad to take a test and if we are negative rent a car and come home," Harris said with a mask covering her face.
Herman added, "We would rather they left us on the ship for another week and sent us home."
Home. Nothing compares or comes close.
And when they finally get back, Harris said she wants to jump in the shower, wash her clothes and relax.
When they landed in San Diego, the couple says representatives from the CDC outlined the next steps. At the time of this report, that information had not been shared with KARE TV.
Our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit our coronavirus section for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215.